REMINDers for Incentive Spirometry in PACU (REMIND-IS in PACU)

Postoperative Utilization of Incentive Spirometry With and Without Electronic Patient Reminders in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU)

The purpose of this study is to determine if the frequency of use of incentive spirometry during the stay in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) increases with visual and auditory electronic reminders, as compared to not having those reminders.

This is a pragmatic single-center alternating cluster study. We will enroll adult patients who require general anesthesia for surgery and receive an incentive spirometry device during their PACU stay. Automatic alarms to perform incentive spirometry will be set to either "ON" or "OFF" in alternating weeks. The hypothesis is that patients receiving automatic audible and visual alarms will have increased rates of adequate incentive spirometry breaths compared to patients receiving no alarms.

Inclusion Criteria:

• be 18 years or older;
• have undergone a surgical procedure at the University of Colorado Hospital under general anesthesia;
• have incentive spirometry ordered by their provider, or incentive spirometry must be part of the study site's standard-of-care which is implemented by hospital staff;
• not have severe hearing or impaired visual acuity deficiency, in that they cannot hear or see the audible and visual signal of the InSee monitor.

Exclusion Criteria:

• have a severe hearing or visual acuity impairment that prevents them from hearing or seeing the audible and visual signals of the InSee monitor;
• have the inability to perform incentive spirometry due to refusal, cognitive impairment, neuromuscular weakness, anatomical or any other reasons (e.g., tracheotomy, oral surgery, unable to hold incentive spirometry device);
• are a part of a vulnerable population (e.g., pregnant, minors, prisoners).